Map Analysis Part 2 -

Part 1 of an analysis of all the prerenders found in Final Fantasy VII. Some of the text is too small to be seen without zooming in and some of the pictures are larger than can be displayed on this page, so click here to download them for yourself or here to view them one by one in full.

“THE BRAVE DO NOT FEAR THE GRAVE”.

Dio apparently starred as a Big Daddy in Bioshock. He also has a bat plane.

Was this ever the Gateway to Heaven?

Gong:
“Dragon” (龍)

Sign on the back left wall:
“MILK”

Mat:
“Examination” (審査)

luksy says: The purple sign reads “Corneo” (古留根尾) using kanji that resemble a traditional Japanese surname.

Lots of Japanese in Corneo’s lair.

Welcome mat:
“Lecherous man” (好色男)

Blue sign:
“Puu” (ぷう)

Mat by the stairs:
“Up/Down” (上下)

Sign above the left door:
“Punishment” (おしおき)

Sign above the center:
“Large helping” (大盛)

Sign above the left door:
“Henchmen” (子分)

Banner on the wall:
Alternate kanji for “Shumai” (終 ? 胃)

Banner on the wall 2:
Alternate kanji for “Gyoza” (業座)

This place seems to use a lot of alternate kanji unused in Japanese to give it a joking sort of foreign (faux-Chinese?) feel.

Seems like the henchmen were playing Mahjong. Nothing better to do when the cable’s out. Empty sake bottles litter the nearby table.

Nothing like a good old dose of Corneo hospitality to keep you coming back for more. Ignore the stains, it’s ketchup. They had a hamburger party here last week!

Alternate kanji for “Oshiruko” (尾視留古).

luksy says: I can just make out “Sin & Virtue” (善罪) on the banner on the right.

Lantern:
“Corneo” (古留根尾)

Symbols on the bed:
“Tendon” (天丼)

Mat:
Alternate kanji for “Trap Door” (音死阿奈)

Nice jukebox, bro.

Shademp says: Why would someone bother putting up flyers in a sewer? Also, despite the map being called”COLNE_B3″, and the field prior to it “COLNE_B1”, there is no “COLNE_B2”.

This place needs a mop!

How imposing!

The banner on the wall in the top right room reads “justice” or “truth” (理).

“RAWWWK!” I wonder if one of these things could take on the Weapons.

BrutalAl says: This map contains an unused animation of North Corel not burning, possibly post-blaze as no buildings can be seen.

The geography of North Corel is odd in a number of ways, suggesting the developers messed up big time during planning.

The original town, Corel, was surrounded by forest and mountains, as we can see in the above shot. Judging by the landscape around the original town and the present location of North Corel on a mountinous/foresty area of the world map, it would seem that the new town was built on the location of the original Corel.

So, why are Corel’s remains half a world away in the desert? And why does “ROPEST” show North Corel located beside a desert when its world map location has it a very great distance from any patches of sand?

While the Mako reactor in North Corel isn’t shown on the world map, it seems to take Cloud and party a long time to reach it via foot or speeding train. There is also a banner in North Corel with an arrow pointing northward at the edge of the path that leads to the Mako reactor. This might imply that North Corel was originally meant to be placed a distance south above the desert and the Mako reactor in the mountains should have occupied its current spot on the world map. No explanation for why the landscape around what was once Corel has changed so much, however.

Now, that building on the left looks like it has a cross. Or maybe it’s something else… in any case, I think the “MINE PUB” has seen better days.

This place is very modern-looking.

“Weapon – TigerLily Arms Shop”. Wonder what this place did to deserve a special moniker? Capitalization questionable. I see some boomerangs, and I think a Cactaur on the counter.

Not for those afraid of heights!

I wonder if they get any wind protection up there.

There was a deleted scene in which AVALANCHE was going to reward themselves with a vacation in Cosmo Canyon after the successful completion of their ill-fated mission.

The sign to Cosmo Canyon. Wish I could read what it said underneath.

More tantalizingly unreadable signage, this time in rainbow.

“STAFFROOM”, “BOOKMAKER’S OFFICE”, “EXCHANGE”, and “BET!!” on the little TV screen. Spacing is for the weak!

A cool Chocobo Racing poster and a very 90s computer monitor. Can anyone read what it says on the door?

Epic statues looking very much like the depictions of gods you’ll find on temples in Japan, particularly the one on the left, which can often be found housed inside temple gates.

luksy says: The statues in Da Chao all look like Tenbu (Devas), the Nio are bosatsu.

DLPB says: Da Zhao Temple is a Buddhist monastery in the city of Hohhot in Inner Mongolia in north-west China.

“Sea Plane Only”! Also, “Helipad” and “Costa del sol port” with questionable capitalization. Shademp adds that the plane reads “VII”, perhaps in homage to the game.

Costa del Sol, helpfully emblazoned for stupid tourists with the mis-capitalized town name, “Costa・del・sol”, the “Bar del sol” reading “BAR”, the “INN”, a sign advertising the potential activities of “SURFING” and “SUNTAN”, and, of course, a signpost reading “world” and “sea”, just in case you forgot which direction the world was and kept wondering, puzzled, why waves were lapping at your feet..

Quite idyllic!

Those who live outside of the Midgar Slums enjoy such comforts as modern toilets, full baths, and pool.

Shin-Ra needs to take a lesson from these impeccably-stacked boxes. That’s how organization is done, people!

“Beach” and “SUMMER”, two words that exemplify Costa del Sol well. Also a fan for when you get hot, and a modern cash register.

This elevator operates under the power of pi.

I wonder why everyone’s houses have exposed piping.

There’s no way to get out from behind that counter.

The castle walls of this town are pretty weird. In addition to the sign on the “INN”, the buildings on the upper level are called “THE BOTTLE”, “GAUNTLET”, and “IRON ARMS”. Nibelheim also has a building with a similar pub-like name.

Shademp says: This map has unused animations, such as one showing the fax machine printing faxes.

BrutalAl says: This map boasts another unseen animation in the form of an unused foreground depicting a large world map that differs greatly from the world map in the final game. Among the differences are the missing waterfall lake on the left continent, the lack of mountains to the left of the Forgotten City and Bone Village, no Cactaur Island, an island to the top left, no Chocobo Sage area, an open passage instead of a cave for Mythril Mine, the mountain rig along the middle of the left continent running differently from the final version, no Nibel-unique mountains on the map, and a much smaller and non-round Round Island. In addition, some random, unimportant islands vary in size and number.

More handy directional signs, including “B1”, “B2”, “chocobo”, “cockpit”, and “Operation”.